Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae processing as a strategy for solid waste reduction

Nowadays, the total amount of bio-waste produced by food and beverage chains is huge due to the rise of the world population and the lack of adequate strategies to cope with this problem.

The larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens (Diptera, Stratiomyidae) can be reared on a wide variety of substrates, such as HO.RE.CA. (Hotel-Restaurant-Catering) solid waste, as well as agricultural- and food-processing solid residues. In this scenario, bioconversion of leftovers through BSF represents a sustainable solution, capable of addressing the solid waste issue and efficiently supplying a large amount of protein biomass rich in fats (Spranghers et al, 2017; Meneguz et al, 2018; Montevecchi et al, 2019).

The present report describes some of the main outcomes of the research, including the evaluation of i) the effectiveness of substrate reduction by BSF larvae ii) the management of the unpleasant smells released during larvae growth. The experiments aim at evaluating the reduction of organic solid waste.